Author Notes: This California twist on the corned beef and cabbage feast is untraditional in all the right places -- and almost as easy as the old school dump-in-the-crock pot approach, with a few brilliant tweaks. Goin divorces the vegetables from the meat so they're free to cook in their own time. In an exciting twist, she also throws the beef in the oven to brown and crisp up a bit at the end. Finally, she gives it just what any salty, long-cooked broth craves: a sauce that vibrates with life. Recipe adapted very slightly from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber (Knopf, 2005) —Genius Recipes

Serves 6, with leftovers

For the Corned Beef and Vegetables

1 6-pound corned-beef brisket

2 onions

4 whole cloves

2 bay leaves, preferably fresh

1/2bunch thyme

2 chiles de arbol

6 small carrots

9 golf ball-sized turnips

1 1/4pounds yellow potatoes, peeled

1 medium green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the corned beef in a large deep pot and cover with cold water by 6 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cut the onions in half lengthwise, peel them, and poke one clove into each half.

When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add the onions, bay leaves, thyme, and chiles. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid.

Cook the corned beef in the oven 4 to 4 1/2 hours, until it's fork-tender. (Carefully remove the foil and pierce the meat with a fork. If the fork doesn't penetrate easily, the corned beef is not ready.)

While the beef is cooking, peel the carrots, leaving 1/2 inch of stem. Cut
the carrots in half lengthwise. Trim the turnip tops, leaving 1/2 inch of stem
attached. Cut the turnips in half through the stems. Cut the potatoes into 1-
inch chunks. Remove any tough outer leaves from the cabbage and slice it in
half through the core. Cut each cabbage half into three wedges, leaving the
core intact to hold the leaves together.

When it's done, remove the meat from the oven, let it cool a few minutes, and transfer it to a baking sheet.

Turn the oven up to 375 degrees F.

Return the meat to the oven for about 15 minutes, until it browns and crisps on top. If it's not browning to your liking, you can pass it under the broiler. Let the corned beef rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing it.

Meanwhile, skim the fat from the broth. (There probably won't be very much.) Taste the broth. If it tastes good -- not too salty but nicely seasoned and meaty -- set half of the liquid aside in a medium saucepan. If the broth is salty, add a little water before setting half of it aside.

Add water to the broth in the large corned-beef cooking pot until you have enough liquid to poach the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to medium, and add the potatoes to the pot. Simmer 5 minutes and then add the cabbage, turnips, and carrots. (If your pot is not big enough, divide the broth into two pots, adding more water if needed.) Simmer over low heat 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender. Test each type of vegetable occasionally, and if one is ready before the others, use tongs or a slotted spoon to take the vegetables out of the broth.

Taste the reserved broth and the vegetable-cooking broth. Combine them to your taste. If the vegetable broth tastes best, use it for the finished broth. If the vegetable broth is watery but has good flavor, add a little of it to the reserved broth, to your liking. Or, if you like the meat broth best, use it by itself.

Place the cabbage on a large warm platter. Slice the corned beef against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the meat over the cabbage. Scatter the other vegetables over and around the platter. Pour over a good quantity of your chosen broth, and drizzle with the parsley-mustard sauce. Pass the extra broth and sauce at the table.

For the Parsley-Mustard Sauce

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely diced shallots

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon, for juicing

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the shallots, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, and let sit 5 minutes. Pound the parsley with a mortar and pestle and add it to the shallots. Whisk in the mustard and olive oil, and season with a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of pepper and a pinch more salt, if you like. Be careful not to overseason, since the corned beef may be on the salty side.

I made this for a St. Patrick's Day dinner party yesterday. The corned beef and parsley sauce were delish but the boiled veggies were kinda lackluster - next time I will roast the veggies or make some other side dish.

This is my third year serving this yummy, traditional St Paddy’s Day dinner and as in past years, to many compliments. I wouldn’t dare change a thing ... although, I like gingerroot’s idea of cooking the meat a day ahead. And most def agree, the Parsley-Mustard sauce is a winner.

This will be my fourth year making corned beef for St. Patrick's day this way - Suzanne Goin's Parsley-Mustard sauce really breathes new life into the dish! I've also always cooked the meat a day ahead without a hitch. Then, I can just finish the meat in the oven and cook the vegetables right before eating.

Owing to my failure to make Irish soda bread earlier in the day, I was forced to use my one oven for baking and to forego the browning step for the meat. It was still great. I did double the carrots as they are my favorite part of the meal and I came very close to skipping the sauce as it didn't seem appropriate for a traditional corned beef dinner. Thank god I didn't!! I'm telling you that that sauce is absolutely unbelievable - packed with layers of flavor and easy to make. When there is silence at the dinner table you know you've got a winner and we were like a group of monastic monks who had taken a vow never to speak again. The sauce is also terrific on all manner of vegetables and chicken. I also used it on a hamburger (nothing wrong there) and if I could I swear I would put in on my morning cereal. A seriously delicious recipe (meat, vegetables, sauce).

I made this for St Patrick's Day. Wow! The spicy mustard really made the meal special. I didn't even use high-grade whole grain mustard (store brand all the way) and it was spectacular. I'll be making this again soon.

My son was enjoying it and was about to ask for a little mustard when he spotted the Parsley Mustard Sauce. He was blown away by it... elevated the meal. Alone with some Irish Soda Bread and a pint of Guinness-- not a bad St Patty's Day!

I did this last year and it was absolutely perfect. Couldn't find a 6 lb corned beef so I bought two 3.5 lb-ers one is 'eye of the round' the other flat cut. Should I cook them separately or can put them both in the same pot and how long? Thanks!

You'd just want to make sure that the simmering water could get to all the brisket -- if they were stacked tightly, the mid-section might not get cooked as thoroughly. I think you could space them out in the pot by nestling the onion in between. If so, the cooking time shouldn't change much -- might be a little shorter if the pieces are skinny. Hope it's as good as last year's!

OMG!!! this was wonderful. I have a wood fired oven in our yard and this is where I prepared this wonderful corn beef! It was truly amazing and we especially loved the parsley mustard sauce what a great addition!!!!!

My plan this year is similar. I have been boiling and then roasting for a number of years and it finally occurred to me that I will roast the veggies along with the corned beef. I'm planning to lay everything out on a roasting sheet, quarted cabbage, nice slender carrots, split leeks, small halved potatoes and the boiled meet at 415 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then horseradish sauce and mustard sauce on the side. And soda bread.

Ok, I always wonder this, so please help me cement it in my brain. This recipe calls for 6 pounds of corned beef brisket which is cooked for 4-41/2 hours. But if I buy 3 pounds of beef what about the cooking time. Usually the diameter is the same but... This same question comes to mind when I say cook a beef tenderloin or a roast. I know I can judge it but for planning I'd like to get this understood.

I don't want to cook 6 lbs worth of meat, so I'm thinking of just using 2 lbs. Would this affect the cooking time in the oven? Also, is there a different chili I could sub in for the one in the ingredients list? - Thanks!

In my prior attempts to make a more flavorful and less traditional corned beef (with apologies to my Irish grandmother), I first sear the meat and render the fat, and then boil it in water and red wine. Short of making two versions side by side and deciding which tastes better, in theory, is it better to sear it before or after boiling?